News & Events

The show Teen Visions ’14, featuring art by local youth, will be on exhibit in the Palmer Gallery beginning January 23, 2014

More than 100 paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photographs by top participants ages 11-19 from the Junior Art Institute and Art Institute of Mill Street Loft programs, will be shown in the juried “Teen Visions” exhibit at Vassar College’s James W. Palmer III ’90 Gallery, from Thursday, January 23, through Thursday, February 13. Spanning artwork in a wide variety of media, the pieces were selected by a panel of educators from more than 1500 submissions, based upon artistic statement, vision, and visual acuity, as well as individual accomplishment. The artists are 6th graders through seniors from more than 30 schools in the Mid-Hudson Valley.

The show is expanding this year, with work of the Art Institute students (ages 14-19) being shown in the Palmer Gallery; works from the Junior Art Institute (ages 11-14) will be exhibited in the Faculty Commons. Both exhibition spaces are located in Main Building.

There will be an opening reception on January 23 at 4:30 pm in the gallery. This event will feature brief remarks from Carol Wolf, executive director of Mill Street Loft, Todd Poteet, director of the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft and Vassar’s Teresa Quinn, director of the Palmer Gallery. All events are free and open to the public. The gallery is open Monday to Saturdays from 11:00am – 6:00pm, and on Sundays from 12:00 – 6:00pm.

The Art Institute of Mill Street Loft and its Junior Art Institute program are pre-college portfolio development programs to prepare career-minded teens to attend top art schools, and to eventually become working professional artists. Since 2000, Art Institute graduates have received offers of more than $28 million in merit-based scholarships to some of the nation’s major colleges, universities, and art schools, including Pratt Institute, the School of Visual Arts (SVA), Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Columbus College of Art and Design, and the Cooper Union. Each year graduates average offers of $65,000 in merit awards with 2-4 students receiving a full tuition scholarship to college. In 2012 the Summer Art Intensive component of the Art Institute program moved to the Vassar College campus, where outstanding programming is complemented by a residential component.

Todd Poteet, the director of the Art Institute program, noted that Teen Visions will be the first major exhibition for many of the students, validating their work and helping them to build confidence as practicing artists.

“This is the first year we are showcasing the work of some of younger artists in the program. These students demonstrate through their work that they are capable of masterful creations far beyond what we would normally expect.” explained Poteet. “In addition, this is our first graduating class that contains seniors who started in the Junior Art Institute at age 11 and continued completely through the program. They are already accomplished young artists with gallery shows, museum exhibitions, and national competitions under their belts. We are preparing the next generation of artists to be successful in their careers and pursuits.”

“The modern era has made art career options broader in scope than most people can even imagine,” observed Poteet. “Consider for example that every manmade object at some point had to be drawn, photographed, designed, or prototyped by an artist. The homes we live in, the clothes we wear, the cars we drive in, the computers we use, and the books we read; all had at least one artist involved in its creation. No other profession can boast the same."

Quinn added, “This exhibit is one of the most anticipated and well attended at the Palmer Gallery each year. Experiencing the art work created by these students is inspiring and the opportunity to meet the artists at the opening reception is an added bonus."

About Mill Street Loft

Established in 1981, Mill Street Loft is an award-winning multi-arts educational center in Poughkeepsie dedicated to bringing a wide range of creative, educational and culturally enriching outreach and tuition-based programs to diverse audiences throughout the Hudson Valley (www.millstreetloft.org). Designed for motivated teens ages 14-19, the Mill Street Loft is completely run by professional artists to help develop skills in visual and media arts.

Vassar College strives to make its events, performances, and facilities accessible to all. Individuals with disabilities requiring special accommodations must contact the Office of Campus Activities at least 48 hours in advance of an event, Mondays-Fridays, at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space/and or assistance may not be available. For detailed information about accessibility to specific campus facilities, search for “campus accessibility information” on the Vassar homepage (http://www.vassar.edu).